A month and a half before the launch, the main and backup crews of the 64th long-term expedition to the International Space Station began practical exams at the Yu.A. Gagarin. Already in three weeks, the “Favorites” and “Kazbeks” (call signs of the main and backup crews, respectively) will have complex examination trainings, which will complete the stage of pre-flight preparation before leaving for Baikonur.
The three-week session with the main and backup crews of the Soyuz MS-17 manned transport spacecraft began with an examination training on the Teleoperator specialized simulator.
Experienced crew commanders Sergei Ryzhikov and Oleg Novitsky have already seen the approach of the “truck” with the space station, and flight engineers Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Petr Dubrov will see it for the first time.
In the process of testing on the Teleoperator, the cosmonauts of the main and backup crews worked out several scenarios of docking of the Progress MS cargo vehicle with the International Space Station in accordance with the tasks indicated in the ticket. During the exam, the commanders and flight engineers showed effective interaction both with each other and with the instructor, who introduces emergency situations. For competent actions and well-coordinated work during the exam, the cosmonauts received excellent marks.
The “space session” of the crews at the Cosmonaut Training Center will be completed by exam complex trainings scheduled for September 22-23, 2020.
